From January 28 through 31, 1999, more than 61,000 music industry pros packed the cavernous Los Angeles Convention Center for the winter expo of the National

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From January 28 through 31, 1999, more than 61,000 music industry pros packed the cavernous Los Angeles Convention Center for the winter expo of the National Association of Music Merchants (www.namm.com), where 1,200 exhibitors showed the latest in audio and music gear. Outside of Roland's entry into the digital console market (see sidebar), the big "gotta-see-it" hits were few; however, this show had no shortage of cool technologies. Here are some slick debuts that caught our attention.

Peavey (www.peavey.com) and Cakewalk (www.cakewalk.com) unveiled StudioMix(tm), a moving fader hardware control surface that integrates with Cakewalk 8-track digital audio recording/MIDI editing software. The console includes MMC transport keys, jog/shuttle wheel, four user-definable softkeys and tactile control of volume, pan, sends, returns, track arming, mute, solo, chorus/reverb, etc. This "studio in a box" package retails at $899. Keep an eye on Peavey for similar advanced products (and alliances) in the future, in both pro and MI markets.

Coming soon to near-fields and hanging clusters everywhere: Having conquered the consumer subwoofer market, Velodyne Silicon Systems (www.velodyne.com) has its sights on the pro OEM market with a lightweight digital Class D amp available in mono 100/250/600/1,250-watt modules having an astonishing 97% efficiency! Could your next speakers sport a "Velodyne Inside" sticker?

24/96 AND ALL THAT...If there was a buzzword du NAMM, it had to be "24/96." TC Electronic (www.tcelectronic.com) is shipping the $2,995 Finalizer 96k, the newest generation in its Finalizer mastering processor line, offering 24-bit/96kHz resolution and a hardware upgrade path (Bravo, TC!) for owners of earlier units. TC also showed a 24/96 upgrade I/O card for its flagship M5000.

Quantum, from dbx (www.dbxpro.com) is a digital mastering processor with multiband compressor, limiter, expander, gate, parametric EQ, de-esser, normalizer and 24/96 capability-all from a one $1,999 box. Quantum also features the Type IV 24/96 converters used in dbx's acclaimed Blue Series, with a choice of dither options and TSE(tm) Tape Saturation Emulation.

Antares (www.antarestech.com) Auto-Tune-see last month's Mix-has eliminated the need for vocalists to sing on key. Now the company shows the AMM-1 Microphone Modeler, which uses spectral modeling to simulate different mic sounds. Plug any reasonably full-range mic into its preamp input and select your choice of classic and vintage mics at the touch of a button. This could do to mics what the SansAmp did to guitar amps! Ships this summer.

Speaking of mics, AKG's (www.akg-acoustics.com) new C4000B is a 3-pattern, large-diaphragm condenser mic priced at $848, with windscreen and shockmount.

Steinberg (www.us.steinberg.net) showed a version of Cubase VST that works with the Rocket Network API (www.rocketnetwork.com) now available to application developers-allowing multiple users to use the Internet as a live connection to join in on projects. Cubase VST with the RocketPower module should be available next quarter.

Be Inc., maker of the multimedia-optimized BeOS operating system (www. be.com), demoed its fast new Version 4 system. So far, 26 music and audio developers, including Opcode, Sonorus, Lucid, Steinberg, Emagic, Arboretum, Aardvark and E-mu, have announced plans to bring to market audio applications for the BeOS. The applications will begin shipping within the next three months.

A growing number of third-party developers have been announcing support for CreamWare's recently announced Pulsar platform, including Metric Halo, Sonic Timeworks, Spectral Design, Wildcat Canyon and NemeSys. And Windows users are celebrating Digidesign's (www.digidesign.com) announcement that it is now shipping the PC version of the Pro Tools MIX system.

Waves (www.waves.com) announced the Pro-FX suite of DSP plug-ins for Digidesign TDM systems, including UltraPitch, a six-voice formant-corrected pitch shifter; SuperTap, a six-voice multitap delay; MetaFlanger for vintage tape flanging and phase emulation; and MondoMod, which combines AM (level), FM (frequency) and stereo rotation (panning) into a single modulator. Price: around $700.

TC Works (www.tcelectronic.com) introduced TC Native Bundle, a package of three plug-ins for DirectX applications, including TC's popular Native Reverb and Native EQ Works plug-ins, plus the new Native DeX compression/de-esser plug-in. Native DeX includes a Key plug-in for ducking and performs analog emulation using TC's proprietary SoftSat algorithm. The bundle is $599 or $299 each.

Minnetonka (www.minnetonka-audio.com) announced it has licensed Dolby AC-3 encoder technology for its new SurCode software for encoding 5.1 surround recordings, accepting the master as six .WAV files. Retail: $995.

SPEAKERS: NEW IDEAS, NEW PLAYERSRoland's (www.rolandus.com) powered, bi-amped DS-90 digital reference monitors include both analog and S/PDIF inputs. Connected to one of Roland's VS-1680/VS-880EX workstations (or VM-3100Pro and VM-7000 Series digital mixers), the DS-90s emulate a wide range of studio reference monitors for checking mixes on simulations of various pro and consumer speakers, including a "white-coned" near-field. Retail: $595/each.

Designed to complement its M1 Active(tm) Biamplified Reference monitors, the S1 Active(tm) Subwoofer from Alesis (www. alesis.com) features an internal 250-watt amp driving a long-throw, 8-inch woofer going down to 40 Hz. The system may also be driven passively. Price: $499.

Jumping into the loudspeaker business by purchasing RCF and Fussion, Mackie Designs (www.mackie.com) is now a contender in live sound. Among the five new Mackie-branded systems is the SRM450 for stage monitor or pole-mount use, with a molded cabinet, hanging points and 300/150-watt amps driving a 12-inch woofer and 1-inch HF driver. The MAS 1530 is a three-way, active system (15-inch woofer, 6-inch horn-loaded midrange and 1-inch HF) with matching SRS 1500a 15-inch powered sub. Mackie also showed passive two-way systems.

Mackie's Fussion Audio showed the 3000 three-way active system with trapezoidal cabinet and three integrated amps. The 1800SA/1800S is an active sub with two 18-inch woofers and a 3,000-watt amp. The low-profile (10.5-inch high) 800wa is designed for stage-monitoring where sight lines are critical, with two 8-inch woofers, 1-inch HF driver and onboard 250-watt amp.

Digital Designs (www.ddaudio.com) had an $800, 80-pound(!), 18-inch woofer with a massive air-cooled magnet and a flat-panel, carbon fiber "cone."

Selenium Loudspeakers (www.selenium.com) showed woofers with quartz composite fiber (QCF) cones. Developed for humid conditions in Brazil, the QCF drivers are moisture-resistant and virtually puncture-proof: DJs and club owners take note!

ALL MIXERS LARGE AND SMALLMidas (www.eviaudio.com/midas) has already taken orders for a score of its new 48-input, 24-bus Heritage 3000 dual purpose FOH/monitor consoles, profiled in last month's Mix.

No word on pricing, but Manley (www.manleylabs.com) previewed the Manley 16x2 Mixer, a tube-based rackmount unit with 16 line or mic inputs (with pan/solo/mute), direct outs on each channel and large VU meters. Everybody needs one of these!

Small, powered P.A. mixers were everywhere! Mackie's PPM Series range from six to eight inputs, featuring two amps, and a clever "break switch" that disables all mics when the band takes five, while leaving the CD/tape input active. The AMX6 ($695) and AMX10 ($895) from Akai (www.akai.com) were notable for their extremely low weight-only 17 lbs. Yamaha's (www.yamaha.com) 10-input EMX860ST Powered Mixer ($899.95) has three power amplifiers for stereo P.A. and a monitor system. Nady (www.nadywireless.com) showed a new range of products including rackmount mixers (10/12/14/16-channels), compact mixers (4/16-channel models), and stereo and mono powered mixers. And Wave Distribution (www.wavedistribution. com) is shipping the ETEK NoteMix, a 14-channel stereo mixer built into a laptop-sized chassis. The 200 watts/channel MA400 model is $999.

Winter NAMM swings back to Los Angeles next year, with a triumphant return to the Anaheim Convention Center slated for 2001; but in the meantime, this year's Summer NAMM comes to Nash-ville July 23 to 25. See you there!

Keep forgetting the fingering for that tricky F#13aug9 (or maybe just a D) chord? Get Akai's new compact guitar chord finder. This keychain-size, battery-operated unit has a tiny LCD screen displaying any of 905 chord patterns on a six-string/four-fret grid. Retail: $19.95.

Sabine (www.sabineinc.com) made a splash at NAMM with the True Mobility Wireless System, the first wireless microphone system with Sabine's FBX Feedback Exterminator and Targeted Input Processing built in, as well as a neat front-panel battery recharger for the mic transmitter! Wireless mics with integrated signal processing: Is this the debut of a new product category?

Korg (www.korg.com) wowed us with its ElecTribe DSP analog "dance tools," with the ElecTribeoA Analog Modeling Synthesizer and ElecTribeoR Rhythm Synthesizer. Designed with recording or live performance in mind-or just creating cool sounds on-the-fly-these are thick, hip, funky and phatt. Slammin'!

A cool new P.A. solution: Audio Composite Engineering's (www.audiocomposite.com) 1200 Series Downfill Kit is designed to suspend one of the company's Model 1250 loudspeakers as a downfill below JBL's HLA Series 4895 or 4897 speakers, using JBL-style connecting bars fitted with Aeroquip L-Track hardware.

Save your back! Ultimate Support Systems' (www.ultimatesupport.com) new TS-90 and TS-99 speaker stands feature Telelock, an adjusting collar that makes it easy for one person to lower, raise and lock in place heavy speakers and lighting equipment by clicking the collar ring to raise or lower settings.

Just when you thought the small digital mixer market was settling down, Roland unveils a remarkable new system that may change the way you think about "small" digital consoles. Taking a lesson from the Euphonix school of mixer design, Roland's V-Mixing System combines a control surface tied to rackmount DSP and I/O processing, located up to 200 meters away. And in addition to offering "traditional" 12-channel (VM-3100) and 20-channel (VM-3100pro) 8-bus configurations, a 25-fader VM-C7200 or 13-fader VM-C7100 console surface can control one or two VM-7200 or VM-7100 processors for up to 94 mixing channels.

Options include I/O expansion boards providing 24-bit I/O for a total of 24-in/24-out audio on a single board; ADAT/Tascam interfaces; and a cascade kit. The V-Mixing processors have two stereo multieffects, expandable with three additional effects boards for up to eight stereo or 16 mono channels of automated effects processing. Deliveries are expected late summer.